Solar panels, loft insulation and other home upgrades are increasingly popular as households look to cut energy bills and become greener.
That rising demand has also opened the door to rogue operators using unlawful tactics, it has been found.
Regulators warn that a surge in automated “robo calls” is luring homeowners into costly and sometimes misleading renovation deals.
Energy firms fined for unlawful calls
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has fined Home Improvement Marketing Ltd (HIM) £300,000 and Green Spark Energy Ltd (GSE) £250,000 after millions of automated marketing calls were made.
Both companies relied on overseas call centres and “avatar software,” which gave the impression homeowners were speaking to helpful UK-based advisors like “Jo, Helen or Ian.”
In reality, these were scripted voice clips triggered by agents abroad, with every conversation eventually steering toward selling loft insulation, spray foam insulation or solar panels.
False claims were even made about fibreglass insulation being a health risk, something Asthma and Lung UK has debunked. Among the 497 complaints were distressing accounts from elderly and vulnerable people, including a 91-year-old cancer patient caring for a wife with Alzheimer’s.
How to spot the warning signs
Andy Curry, Head of Investigations at the ICO, said robo technology is making it harder for the public to spot when they’re dealing with automated calls. To help, the ICO has issued clear advice:
- Noticeable pauses or delays between what you say and the reply.
- Repetitive or irrelevant answers when you go off script.
- Fixed conversation paths that always loop back to a sales pitch.
- Identical voices or accents across supposedly different advisors.
- Unnatural silence with no background chatter, unlike real call centres.
The ICO urges people to register with the free Telephone Preference Service (TPS), report nuisance calls through its online tool, and forward fraud complaints to Action Fraud or Trading Standards.
Protecting your home and your renovation plans
Before agreeing to a so-called “free survey” or energy-saving offer, homeowners are advised to check whether the company is genuine and whether proper consent was given for the call.
Curry stressed: “Unscrupulous companies are using robo technology to fool elderly and vulnerable people. We understand how distressing these calls can be and will work on the public’s behalf to catch those responsible.”
According to the ICO, public reporting is key to enforcement action and to ensuring the renovation boom is not tainted by rogue firms taking advantage of trust.
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